1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to mouse cursor display in a graphical user interface (GUI) and more particularly to mouse cursor location in a GUI.
2. Description of the Related Art
In computing, a cursor is an indicator used to show the position on a computer monitor or other display device that will respond to input from a text input or pointing device. A text cursor blinking on a periodic interval traditionally has been referred to as a “caret”. By comparison, the mouse cursor has been referred to as a “mouse pointer”, owing to the traditional arrow shape of the mouse cursor. Interfaces driven by a computer mouse or other pointing device use the mouse pointer to show a contemporaneous position on a GUI driven by the pointing device. On modern systems the default mouse cursor is an arrow pointing up and to the left, though mouse cursors take on literally an infinite number of shapes, often customized by the end user.
In many a GUI, the mouse pointer changes shape depending upon the circumstance, such as to indicate processing by the computer, or the prohibition of an action at a contemporaneous position on the GUI. Thus, the mouse pointer can provide critical information as to the status of computing in a computing system. The utility of the mouse pointer, however, is not without its challenge. In particular, as the mouse pointer traditionally is a smallish graphical icon relative to the size of a GUI, locating the mouse pointer in a GUI even for the strongest of eyes can be problematic.
To address the difficulty in visually locating a mouse pointer in a GUI, pointer trails have been provided. A pointer trail is a long-standing feature of the GUI provided to enhance the visibility of the mouse pointer by leaving for a transient period of time an image of the mouse pointer at a past position so as to simulate a “trail” of mouse pointers as an aid to visually locating the mouse pointer in the GUI. Although disabled by default in many operating systems, mouse pointer trails have been provided as a feature mainly for users with poor vision and for screens where low visibility may become an issue, such as flat panel displays in bright sunlight.
The problem of locating a mouse pointer in a GUI can be compounded when using a GUI as a visual display for a presentation or demonstration of a computing system where tracking the movements of the mouse pointer can be critical to understanding the demonstration. In a screencast—a term of art relating to the digital recording of computer screen output—often, due to the low resolution/frame rate of the video, it is not easy to see where the mouse pointer presently is located, and what movement in which the mouse pointer engages. Further, in a live demonstration presented in a GUI, often the audience stands behind the computer operator, and sometimes it is not easy to see what mouse movements transpire on the screen at a distance. This is also true in respect to presentations with audiences. Most recently, the problem of tracking mouse pointer movements has become prevalent with the playback of screencasts on mobile devices with small screens.